Present day motor vehicles employ internal combustion engines operating with petroleum based fuels. In the future internal combustion engines will, in all likelihood, be replaced with other power sources such as hydrogen based fuel cells portrayed by Argonne National laboratory in xe2x80x9cFuel Reformer Brings Practical Electric Cars Closer,xe2x80x9d in which development of a partial oxidation methanol reformer is discussed. A state of the art process and apparatus for methanol reforming to form hydrogen is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,503. Energy for this reforming is furnished from external heat from an oil heating circuit. Several state of the art methods for forming hydrogen employing a steam reformer are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,997,594, 5,639,431, and 5,938,800 converting fuel to form hydrogen. A state of the art method, employing a reformer for forming hydrogen from bio-oil from pyrolysis of a biomass is disclosed by Wang et al within Energy and Fuels; 12(1): 19-24 (January-February 1998). The hydrogen will be used to supply power for motor vehicles and to form a water vapor which is pollution free. A mobile supply of hydrogen gas containing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide is supplied from a fuel by a mobile reformer. The gas from the reformer commonly contains toxic carbon monoxide which should conceivably be converted to non toxic carbon dioxide. The resulting hydrogen gas is often separated by a membrane, permeable to hydrogen, to provide power to a fuel cell located in a vehicle.
It is therefore an object of this invention to obviate many of the limitations or disadvantages of the prior art.
The present concern is about producing hydrogen from a gas containing carbon monoxide derived from reforming without employing a hydrogen permeable membrane.
A distinct object of this invention is to dissolve carbon monoxide contained in a gas derived from fuel reforming in a solvent to thus extract carbon monoxide from the gas.
Still another object of this invention is to provide heterocyclic compounds derived from acidic hydrolysis of biomass.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide hydrogen to power a fuel cell located within a vehicle to generate electrical power.
With the above and other objects in view, this invention relates to the novel features and alternatives and combinations presently described in the brief description of the invention.
One example of steam reforming hydrocarbons is described on page 135 in Chemical Process Industries, second edition, authored by R. N. Shreve, in which propane is employed to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Steam forming of furfural, derived from pyrolysis of biomass to produce an oil, formation of hydrogen is disclosed in Proceedings of the US DOE Hydrogen Program Review, Volume II. page 876.
Several solvents to dissolve carbon monoxide are disclosed in the Merck index, eighth edition, 1968, pages 208-209. Inorganic solvents include a concentrated solvent of NH4OH in addition to cuprous chloride in HCl and organic solvents such as ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and acetic acid. Organic solvents, capable of dissolving carbon monoxide, are selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate and acetic acid including an individual or a combination thereof. Consequently a gas containing carbon monoxide can be substantially freed of carbon monoxide by employing a solvent capable of dissolving carbon monoxide. The gas, substantially devoid of carbon monoxide, presumably contains carbon dioxide and can be scrubbed.
One example of scrubbing a gas containing carbon dioxide is described by Shreve, op.cit. pages 126 and 128, in which sodium carbonate is employed for scrubbing a flue gas containing carbon dioxide to form water soluble sodium bicarbonate. The solution containing sodium bicarbonate is then heated to produce concentrated gaseous carbon dioxide and a solution containing sodium carbonate to be recycled. Shreve, op.cit. pages 131 and 132, describes a method to scrub a gas containing carbon dioxide in an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine, to provide a solution, in which the carbon dioxide is removed from the aqueous solution to produce carbon dioxide as a gas. The solution for scrubbing and removing carbon dioxide is often selected from the group consisting of aqueous bases and aqueous salts including an individual or combination of these.
Shifting a gas obtained from a reformer containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide is customarily achieved with water as steam to shift carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Steam is reacted with carbon monoxide to convert carbon monoxide, reversibly, to carbon dioxide and hydrogen, as described by Shreve, op. cit., page 136.
Heterocyclic compounds such as furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural can be derived from acidic hydrolysis of biomass. Heterocyclic compounds having five rings of four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom consisting of furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural are described in Organic Chemistry, 1948, authored by Hill and Kelley, page 778 and pages 780-781
The present invention, in its broadest aspect, is a method to form hydrogen by subjecting volatile heterocyclic compounds vapor and water vapor to catalytic reforming and steam shifting. Reformed gas resulting will produce a gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Previously reformed gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide is subjected to catalytic steam shifting to substantially convert said carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Heterocyclic compounds and water are vaporized from sensible heat, of the previously steam shifted gas containing remaining carbon monoxide, to form heterocyclic vapor and water vapor and a gas of reduced sensible heat. The previously reduced sensible heat steam shifted gas containing hydrogen and remaining carbon monoxide, from steam shifting, is scrubbed by a solvent capable of dissolving carbon monoxide to from a solvent containing dissolved carbon monoxide and a gas containing hydrogen substantially devoid of carbon monoxide. Upon heating, the solvent containing dissolved carbon monoxide will produce carbon monoxide for recycle to steam shifting and a solvent capable of dissolving carbon monoxide. The previously scrubbed gas containing hydrogen, substantially devoid of carbon monoxide containing carbon dioxide, is scrubbed with a solution capable of withdrawal of carbon dioxide from the gas. The solution, upon heating, will remove gaseous carbon dioxide from the solution and furnish a solution for recycle. Resulting scrubbed gas containing hydrogen substantially devoid of carbon dioxide is available for employment in a fuel cell.
Characteristics of the invention include;
Production of hydrogen substantially devoid of carbon gases.
Heterocyclic compounds are converted to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide by a reformer.
Vaporizing heterocyclic compounds and water from sensible heat of the gas containing remaining carbon monoxide to form heterocyclic compounds vapor and water vapor.
Conversion of carbon monoxide, contained in reformer gas, to hydrogen and carbon dioxide utilizing water vapor.
Water vapor and heterocyclic compounds vapor are subjected to temperature control.
Hydrogen may be concentrated by an adsorbent selected from the group consisting of activated charcoal and structured carbon including an individual or a combination thereof
Reformer is restrained in a container located in a vehicle.
Providing hydrogen from a reformer, separated from carbon gases, to produce hydrogen to power a fuel cell located in a vehicle to generate electrical power regulated upon demand.